Not drinking alcohol during the 9 months of pregnancy is the rule, but what about alcohol consumption while breastfeeding? Can we drink while breastfeeding? Is it dangerous for the baby? Answers.
“Not drinking alcohol is the best option for breastfeeding women. However, moderate alcohol consumption is not dangerous for the baby”Says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States' principal federal agency for public health protection.
It is better to be reasonable and careful with alcohol when breastfeeding the baby because it passes into breast milk and the baby in turn ingests it.
Alcohol is found in breast milk for several hours
Alcohol ingested by a nursing woman is found in breast milk for 2 to 3 hours after consuming the alcoholic beverage (s). It is found at its highest level about 30 to 60 minutes after ingestion. We know that the detection time of alcohol in milk depends on the amount of alcohol ingested. The more alcohol the mother drinks, the longer it will stay in her milk. For example, the alcohol contained in a standard drink displaying about 10 g of pure alcohol (10 cl of wine at 12 ° vol or 25 cl of beer at 5 ° vol or 3 cl of Whiskey, Cognac, Rum etc at 40 ° vol) remains on average 2-3 hours in breast milk after ingestion. Alcohol from two standard drinks is detectable in milk for 4 to 5 hours, alcohol from three standard drinks is detectable for 6 to 8 hours in milk and so on.
These times, like the alcohol level in the blood, can vary depending on several factors, other than the amount ingested:
- how quickly you drink alcohol.
- the mother's weight and body fat.
- the way the body eliminates alcohol.
- consuming food at the same time as consuming alcohol. Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach or on a full stomach can cause the levels in your blood and breast milk to vary. “The presence of food in the stomach slows the absorption of alcohol, especially if these foods are high in fat”, Recalls La Leche League France.
A modified ejection reflex
Although alcohol does not change the composition of breast milk, it does have negative effects on the ejection reflex (when milk comes out of the mammary gland). Alcohol consumption may block or partially inhibit the ejection reflex in some breastfeeding women. The more alcohol the mother drinks, the greater the risk of blocking the ejection reflex. The Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) reveals that there is "no impact for doses lower than 0.5 g / kg, a partial and variable effect for doses ranging from 1 to 1.5 g / kg and an ejection reflex significantly or even completely inhibited when the alcohol doses consumed by the mother are between 1.5 and 2g / kg”.
Researchers have also noticed that a baby drinks less breast milk during the 4 hours following the mother's alcohol intake (because the quantity that comes out is less) but absorbs more between 8 and 16 hours after this. taken to make up for the lack.
Therefore, the HAS recommends that breastfeeding women breastfeed before consuming an alcoholic drink rather than after and reminds that alcohol consumption in moderate quantities (less than 0.5 g / kg per day) , “approximately 1 to 2 drinks during social activities is not contraindicated”. Even if the best option is abstinence during breastfeeding, insists the HAS.
Alcohol during breastfeeding is dangerous for the child
Moderate alcohol consumption is not dangerous for the baby (no more than one standard drink per day), especially if the mother breastfeeds more than two hours after drinking alcohol. On the other hand, heavy alcohol consumption interferes with the ejection reflex, the baby will tend to drink less. One study1 showed that babies consumed 20% less milk when mothers drank alcohol 4 hours or less before feeding. But that's not all, mom's alcohol consumption would affect baby's sleep. Research2 has shown that children's sleep is affected when breastfeeding 1 hour after the mother has consumed a beer or a glass of wine. “Children spent significantly less time sleeping during the 3.5 hour observation period following exposure to alcoholic breast milk’”, Underlines the HAS.
In the long term, excessive alcohol consumption can shorten the duration of breastfeeding due to diminished milk production, but also affect the healthy development of the child according to several studies. It should be noted that during the first year of life, the activity of the liver of an infant is 50% less than that of an adult.
Check your blood alcohol level with a breast milk breathalyzer
Remember, not drinking alcohol while breastfeeding is the best way to protect your baby. For occasional alcohol intakes, specialists advise mothers to feed before starting to consume alcohol or after (at least two hours after). Another option is to express “alcohol-free” milk before going to an event where you are going to consume alcohol, to give it to baby afterwards from a bottle and thus allow you to meet 12 hours before the next feeding.
If you have been drinking alcohol and want to breastfeed, you can check the alcohol level in your milk with a breast milk breathalyzer, the MilkScreen. Available in pharmacies and childcare stores, it comes in the form of strips. Just place a few drops of milk on a strip, if it turns red, breastfeeding is not recommended. If you do not have a breathalyzer, you can consult this Canadian table which provides information on the time needed to eliminate alcohol based on the number of drinks consumed and the mother's weight.
Alcohol and breastfeeding: beware of preconceived ideas!
Expressing breast milk or drinking lots of water after drinking alcohol does not help eliminate it. The alcohol level in the milk will remain unchanged! Also, drinking beer does not bring any more benefits than risks when it comes to breastfeeding. It is true that the beta-glucans it contains increases the production of breast milk, but this does not prevent beer from containing alcohol, which is harmful to health in high doses.
Rest assured breastfeeding mothers, consuming a little alcohol on an exceptional basis will not endanger the health of their baby. However, the amount of alcohol ingested should be moderate and if it is high, it is better to wait several hours before breastfeeding the baby or be far-sighted by expressing “alcohol-free” milk beforehand.
Sources:
- Mennella JA. Regulation of milk intake after exposure to alcohol in mothers' milk. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2001; 25 (4): 590-3.
- Mennella JA, Gerrish CJ. Effects of exposure to alcohol in mother's milk on infant sleep (abstract). Pediatrics 1998; 101 (5): 915.
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